Check
oppression in Punjab: BadalNew Delhi, October 25Former Punjab Chief Minister
Parkash Singh Badal today sought Centre’s intervention to check the
“political vendetta” unleashed by Punjab Government against Akali
Dal leaders in Punjab. “The Congress government is taking action in a
vengeful manner against SAD workers. Whenever the NDA government faced
any problem we stood by it firmly. Now when we are facing problem, you
should also take care of us,” Mr Badal said, looking at Deputy Prime
Minister L.K. Advani, speaking at the NDA rally here today.

Dr Farooq Abdullah has a word with Mr Parkash Singh Badal at an NDA rally held to mark the completion of three years of NDA rule in the Capital on Friday.
— Tribune Photo Mukesh Aggarwal

BJP suspends rebel MLA
Lucknow, October 25The stand-off between dissident BJP legislators in Uttar Pradesh and the state party leadership deepened tonight as suspension was slapped on key rebel leader Ramasish Rai who hinted at the dissidents joining hands with Samajwadi Party to pull down the Mayawati government in the state.

Spurious
drugs worth crores seizedPatna, October 25The police has seized spurious
drugs worth crores and arrested seven persons. The interrogation of the
arrested persons has revealed a large plexus of spurious drug making in
the state. The nexus of anti-national elements active along the
Indo-Nepal and the Indo-Bangladesh borders has also come to the fore.

Dalits to turn BuddhistsNew Delhi Dalits are going to convert to Buddhism at a public rally in Gurgaon on Sunday in protest against their killings in Jhajjar on October 16.

New Delhi, October 25
Former Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today sought Centre’s intervention to check the “political vendetta” unleashed by Punjab Government against Akali Dal leaders in Punjab.

“The Congress government is taking action in a vengeful manner against SAD workers. Whenever the NDA government faced any problem we stood by it firmly. Now when we are facing problem, you should also take care of us,” Mr Badal said, looking at Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, speaking at the NDA rally here today.

Wondering whether there was democracy prevalent in Punjab under the Amarinder Singh regime, Mr Badal alleged that the Akali Dal leaders contesting for SGPC poll have been restrained from moving freely. “The Congress Government has put security personnel around Akali Dal candidates to restrict their free movement,” he alleged. Haryana Chief Minister and INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala took the opportunity to ask the Centre to increase the old age pension from Rs 75 to Rs 200.

Looking at Mr Advani, the Haryana Chief Minister said “you have been anointed to the same position where my father Chaudhary Devi Lal was once. He, as Deputy Prime Minister had always worked for the welfare of farmers and the aged. He had waived loans of farmers worth Rs 10,000 each across the country. But I want you (Advani) to merely increase the old age pension from Rs 75 to Rs 200.” “I don’t think it won’t be a big problem for the Centre,” he said.

Referring to the Constitution of Delimitation Commission set up by the Centre recently, Mr Chautala said the representatives from the legislature and Parliament in the said commission should have voting rights.

He also demanded that water and power resources should also be nationalised as in the case of minerals and mines to resolve disputes like Cauvery water dispute and SYL Canal issue.

In a hard-hitting speech, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah lashed out at the USA for trying to dictate terms to India and called upon the Vajpayee government not to succumb to any pressure for holding talks with Pakistan.

“The USA is not our God so that whatever it says we will do it. Why should we do it? Are we their slaves? Those days are gone,” he said in his flamboyant style.

Disapproving the Centre’s holding talks with Pakistan under the present scenario, he emphasised that the Centre should take tough decisions, particularly against cross-border terrorism.

“Lahore bus yatra and the Agra Summit should not have been held unless Pakistan put a stop to cross border terrorism,” Dr Abdullah said, adding that “next time let us tell them (Pakistan) that hold talks on Siachen Glacier. I will also see who comes there for talks.”

Accepting that this kind of firm stand will result in more difficulties for India, Dr Abdullah said, “These have to be faced if something had to be done for the country.”

He asked the government to stick to its decisions as any of its weaknesses would be exploited by “enemies” and averred that all Muslims of the country were Indians and they should not be looked upon with suspicion.

New Delhi, October 25
The Supreme Court today granted leave on the Sikh Judicial Commission case till November 11 and ordered that status quo be maintained till then.

A order was passed by a three-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Mr Chief Justice B.N. Kirpal. The other members of the Bench are Mr Justice Arijit Passayat and Justice Y.K. Sabharwal.

A petition was filed by Kashmir Singh, Chairman of the Sikh Judicial Commission, challenging the order of making the term of the members of the commission co-teneous and coterminus with the Board (SGPC). The contention of the petitioner was that by making the terms of the members of commission co-terminus with those of SGPC, the commission will stand to lose its non-political characteristic.

Deputy Advocate-General of Punjab Ajay Bansal said the issue was referred to a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court after a member of the Sikh Judicial Commission filed a petition challenging the notification of the erstwhile Badal government’s notification which appointed a new set of members to the commission.

Mr Paramjit Singh Patwalia argued the case on behalf of the petitioner.

The present Amarinder Singh government had rescinded the earlier notification of the Badal government.

Lucknow, October 25
The stand-off between dissident BJP legislators in Uttar Pradesh and the state party leadership deepened tonight as suspension was slapped on key rebel leader Ramasish Rai who hinted at the dissidents joining hands with Samajwadi Party to pull down the Mayawati government in the state.

BJP state president Vinay Katiyar told newsmen here that Mr Rai, a member of the UP Legislative council and spokesman of the “Save BJP Committee” set up by the dissidents, was suspended for “anti-party” activities and spoke of disciplinary action against more dissidents who were sulking over their non-inclusion in Mayawati ministry.

Mr Katiyar said Mr Rai had opposed the party’s official candidate in the previous Assembly poll and had been indulging in anti-party activities since then.

In what could be bad news for the Mayawati ministry, Mr Rai said the dissident BJP legislators were joining hands with disgruntled independent MLAs led by Mr Raghuraj Pratap Singh against the BSP-BJP government.

Asked if BJP dissidents would take the support of the Samajwadi Party, he said “if the SP lends us a helping hand in our fight, we will positively.” Stating that the process of disciplinary action against the dissidents had begun with today’s suspension, Mr Katiyar said some more suspensions might follow soon.

Claiming that the Mayawati government enjoyed the support of over 214 MLAs in the 404-member state assembly, Mr Katiyar asserted “there is no threat to the government.”

SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav said he might meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi after a positive response from her party on the formation of an alternative government in UP.

Talking to a TV news channel here, Mr Yadav said his party would not allow a mid-term poll in the state and would try to form an alternative government once the present coalition government was ousted.

The Independents have already decided in principle to withdraw support to the government, spokesman of the rebel Independent MLAs Dhananjay Singh said here today.

The Independent dissident MLAs stepped up their activities this morning after a police raid was conducted at the house of Mr Singh. The rebel leaders have already termed the raid as politically
motivated while Chief Minister Mayawati said the action was taken as per the law.

Refusing to effect any further expansion of her ministry, Ms Mayawati asserted there was no threat to the coalition government.
PTI, UNI

The interrogation of the arrested persons has revealed a large plexus of spurious drug making in the state. The nexus of anti-national elements active along the Indo-Nepal and the Indo-Bangladesh borders has also come to the fore.

The state dotted with such spurious drug-manufacturing units along the sensitive pockets in the remote eastern and northern parts along the international borders has been notorious for the sale of spurious and substandard drugs. It reportedly has a 40 per cent share in the Rs 1,300-crore spurious drug market of India.

The police on Thursday busted a spurious ayurvedic drug-manufacturing unit in the state capital and seized drugs and equipment worth lakhs of rupees. Two persons were arrested on the spot.

The Shashtri Nagar police in charge said the cops raided the spot following a tip-off and found spurious Ayurvedic drugs that ranged from the cures of cancer to vitamin pills and cough syrups. The owner of the company however managed to escape. The arrested youth confessed to have supplied fake drugs in and around many outlets of Patna.

Earlier, on Tuesday the Siwan police had busted a spurious drug unit and arrested five persons, including a women in this connection. The Siwan SP, Mr N.K. Azad, said, “Spurious drugs worth crores were seized during the raids.

New Delhi
Dalits are going to convert to Buddhism at a public rally in Gurgaon on Sunday in protest against their killings in Jhajjar on October 16.

Announcing the programme of Dalit conversion, All-India Confederation of SC/ST Organisations, Udit Raj, said here on Friday that since lynching of five Dalits in Jhajjar was because of the existing social and religious system prevailing in the country, conversion by some would give a fitting reply to Hindu, organisations like the VHP and the Bajrang Dal.
TNS

NATIONAL BRIEFS

M’RASHTRA, PUNJAB
DONATE FREE FODDER
JODHPUR: Maharashtra and Punjab governments have provided free
fodder and rice husks for famine-striken people of Rajasthan, official
sources said on Friday. Two trains carrying fodder and rice husks for
free distribution arrived here on Thursday from Balsad in Maharashtra
and Ludhiana in Punjab. PTI

NO LIGHTINGS ON DIVALI
JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government has issued a directive against
lighting or decoration on government buildings on Divali, “the
festival of light,” this year as an austerity measure in view of the
prevailing drought. The directive will also be applicable to all state
government undertakings corporations, and boards. UNI

IA
FLIGHT MAKES

EMERGENCY LANDING
KOCHI: An Indian Airlines plane to Mumbai from Thiruvananthapuram
made an emergency landing at the Nedumbassery International Airport
here after its windshield developed a crack, airport sources said on
Friday. Fortyone passengers were on board the plane which landed about
2.30 p.m. on Thursday and immediately all of them were off-loaded. PTI

FOUR
EXTREMISTS KILLED IN CLASH
PATNA: Four extremists were killed and one injured on Friday in a
fierce clash between Ranvir Sena and CPI-ML (Liberation) ultras in
Bhojpur district of Bihar, the police said. IG Operations Neelmani
said two activists each of both rival outfits were killed in the clash
at Gormuri village. PTI

EX-GRATIA FOR KIN OF SLAIN SCRIBES
IMPHAL: The Manipur government will give ex-gratia payment to the
next of kin of four journalists killed by unidentified gunmen in the
past few years, official sources said on Friday. The decision was
taken after the All-Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) and
Manipur Electronic Media Journalists Union (MEMJU) submitted a joint
memorandum to Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh on Thursday. PTI